Asylum Dispersal

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which United Kingdom towns, cities or regions are exempt from asylum dispersal.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: None.

Aviation Health: Contaminated Air

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	With which government and non-government organisations responsibility lies for ensuring that the health of passengers and crew of United Kingdom airline companies is not adversely affected by exposure to contaminated air in cabins and flight decks after an aircraft has taken off.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government's Aviation Health Working Group has overall responsibility for aviation health matters. The standing members of the group comprise the Department for Transport, the Department for Health, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Aviation Health Unit and the Health and Safety Executive.

Aviation Health: Contaminated Air

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What exposure standards currently apply to any synergistic effects of simultaneous exposure to numerous chemicals which may be experienced by aircraft passengers and crew during a contaminated air event in a reduced pressure environment.

Lord Davies of Oldham: None. European airworthiness regulations for aircraft and engine design are written in objective terms that stipulate that the air provided to the passenger and crew compartments must be free from harmful or hazardous concentrations of gases or vapours.

Aviation Health: Contaminated Air

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why filters are not fitted to commercial aircraft to prevent crews and passengers from being exposed to pyrolysis products from synthetic jet engine oils and hydraulic fluids during a contaminated air event.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Filters are not required on commercial aircraft because European airworthiness regulations already require aircraft ventilation systems to be designed to supply air to an acceptable standard, free from harmful or hazardous concentrations of gases or vapours. This is confirmed at the aircraft initial certification and thereafter each commercial aeroplane in the United Kingdom is subject to rigorous scheduled maintenance to ensure that the intended standards are maintained.
	To protect the safety of any flight on which an unexpected failure occurs the CAA has directed crews to don their oxygen masks whenever they suspect that the crew air supply has been contaminated.

Aviation Health: Contaminated Air

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have evidence that contaminated air events are under-reported by airline crews, as previously indicated by a British Airline Pilots Association's survey of pilots in 2002; and, if so, what steps they are taking to address this issue.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Air Navigation (General) Regulations 1993 prescribe the mandatory reporting to the Civil Aviation Authority of any hazardous, or potentially hazardous, defects encountered during aircraft operations or maintenance. Specifically Article 17(c) requires the reporting of any occurrence involving the impairment during a flight of the capacity of a member of the flight crew properly to undertake his or her functions. The fact that the CAA receives more than 1,000 mandatory occurrence reports from aircrew each year demonstrates that it understands the need for occurrence reporting and the nature of mandatory reports. The CAA is not aware of any under-reporting of oil fume exposures by aircrew. Indeed since all UK aircrew take aviation safety very seriously, there is no reason to believe that they would deliberately under-report occurrences involving impairment.

Biomass Fuel

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What undertakings have been given to Peninsula Power to provide financial support for a Ferco Silvag biogas plant at Winkleigh, Devon; and what is their evaluation of the efficiency of the equipment that will be used at the plant.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Peninsula Power is in receipt of an £11.5 million grant undertaking towards the costs of construction of a 23MW biomass station from the DTI under the Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme. The grant remains an undertaking as the company must demonstrate to the department's satisfaction sufficient private investment and that the required level of biomass fuel has been contracted to supply the envisaged plant. The company must also achieve full local planning permission.
	The terms of the competition for grant applications as set out in the published guidance notes include the requirement for a greater than 36 per cent. electrical efficiency in the proposed plant, based on the lower heating value of the fuel as received at the installation, assuming a moisture content of 35 per cent.
	The electrical efficiency of the proposed design was confirmed to meet these criteria in an independent consultants' report supplied with the original application.

British Citizenship: Status Letters

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 7 April (WA 139) on the issue of status letters by the Home Office, why the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate Complaints Unit wrote on 29 September, reference S796684, that "questions regarding British citizenship do not fall within the remit of this department".

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate Complaints Unit (INDCU) has been unable to find any trace of correspondence written under Home Office reference S796684 and dated 29 September 2005. We have located a letter dated 4 March 2005 under this reference complaining about an unsatisfactory reply received from Immigration and Nationality Directorate's nationality office in Liverpool. Unfortunately this letter of complaint was never replied to, but this is being remedied and a reply will be sent shortly. I am very sorry for the delay in dealing with this correspondence. If the noble Lord would like to provide a copy of the letter dated 29 September from the IND Complaints Unit, the comments made will be investigated and I shall write to him about the matter.

British Nationality: Indian Citizenship Law

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 27 October 2004 (WA 126), whether the press release of the Consulate-General of India dated 20th March 1998 is legally determinative for the purposes of deciding British nationality claims under Section 1 of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997 and Article 6 of the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986; and, if so, what are the reasons for the delay in obtaining answers to the inquiries of the Indian authorities on the matter.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The press release was issued following long and detailed discussions with the Indian Government during the period 1997–98. Although not legally determinative it represents our current understanding of Indian citizenship law and has, where appropriate, been used for determining applications for and claims to British nationality. At the urging of the noble Lord we invited the Indian Government on 20 April to clarify certain aspects of the statement it had made, or authorised, in 1998. The Director for Immigration of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs informed officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British High Commission in New Delhi on 5 August that the requested clarification may not be forthcoming for several months. The officials were given to understand that the matter was being considered by the Indian Ministry of Law and Justice.

British Overseas Citizenship

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the case of an otherwise stateless child born in the United Kingdom to non-settled parents who were both solely British Nationals (Overseas) of non-Chinese descent at the time of the birth and where the authorities of the country of the parents' ethnic origin refuse to provide a certificate of non-citizenship for either the parents or the child because neither were born in that country, hold a passport or have a claim to citizenship there, what alternative documentary evidence can be submitted in order to facilitate the issue of a Home Office status letter confirming the automatic conferral of British Overseas Citizenship under Article 6(2) of the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The supporting documentation required and the inquiries made during the consideration of such a case would depend on the individual circumstances of the application.

British Passports

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many United Kingdom passports have been issued in the past 12 months to persons with addresses in (a) Northern Ireland; and (b) the Republic of Ireland.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Between October 2004 and September 2005, the UK Passport Service issued 142,101 British passports to persons with addresses in Northern Ireland. In the same period, the British Embassy in Dublin issued 10,500 passports to persons with addresses in the Republic of Ireland.

Countryside: Right of Access

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they (a) have taken since the introduction of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; and (b) propose to take, in order to inform the general public that no universal right to roam exists in England and Wales.

Lord Bach: Information was available to the public in both England and Wales well in advance of the introduction of the right of access under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 on the extent of the new right. This has been promoted as the right has commenced in each area in England and as the new right of access was launched in Wales on the 28 May.
	Ordnance Survey is revising its explorer maps to show all known access land in England and Wales. The maps provide clear information on the extent of access land, including under the CROW Act. A new specifically designed access symbol is being used on the ground where needed, to help indicate where access land starts and ends.
	On 12 July 2005 the Countryside Agency launched a new website at www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk to help the public find out where they can go and what they can do in the English countryside. Ordnance Survey maps and the Countryside Agency's website show "Access Information Points" marked in orange, where up to date information about local access land is held.
	A leaflet Countryside Access and the new rights published by the Countryside Agency explains where people can go and what they can do, as well as their responsibilities on access land. This is available from tourist information and visitor centres, libraries and members of the Outdoors Industry Association. A revised version of the Countryside Code for England and Wales was issued in July 2004 giving general advice about responsible access across all types of countryside—including access land. A moorland visitors code has been published giving more detailed information for moorland areas. Details of both and further information on the right are available at www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk.
	The Welsh Assembly Government and the Countryside Council for Wales have undertaken a similar approach in ensuring that the public in Wales are aware of the extent of the new right of access and their responsibilities while visiting the countryside. The Countryside Council for Wales has established a website that shows the extent of the land (www.ccw.gov.uk) and has published a number of leaflets explaining the new right of access.
	The Countryside Agency launched an educational campaign in April 2005 aimed at primary and secondary school teachers and youth group leaders in England. It is estimated that 2.1 million young people will be reached in this way.
	We have established a programme to monitor the effects of access and we will consider the need for more information or other measures if this highlights significant problems.

Department for Transport: "Streets for All" Publications

Baroness Buscombe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What costs have been incurred by the Department for Transport in the production of the Streets for All publications.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Transport provided no financial contribution for the production, of the Streets for All publications. However, in providing advice on the text and photographs used in the documents, officials contributed a considerable amount of staff time to their production.

EU Constitutional Treaty

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have received notification from other European Union member states that the verification process of the draft constitutional treaty will continue once the United Kingdom presidency ends on 31 December.

Lord Triesman: No, the Government have not received any such notification. In June the European Council agreed that in response to the French and the Dutch no votes "the timetable for the ratification in different member states will be altered if necessary in response to these developments and according to the circumstances in these member states".
	It is our understanding that Belgium intends to proceed with parliamentary ratification of the European Union constitutional treaty. Estonia has not set a date for parliamentary ratification of the European Union constitutional treaty. The Irish Government have not set a date for their referendum. Poland has not decided how, if at all, to proceed with ratification. The Czechs, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese and Swedish Governments have postponed their ratification processes.

EU: Enlargement

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they plan to ensure that the enlarged European Union can act efficiently during the coming years; and what operational provisions of the Nice Treaty they will seek to use to meet such an objective.

Lord Triesman: The Protocol on the Enlargement of the European Union annexed to the Treaty of Nice, and which was agreed to by all member states, contains the provisions to adjust existing structures and procedures in line with the requirements of an enlarged EU: Article 2 refers to the European Parliament, Article 3 to the weighting of votes in the Council and Article 4 to the Commission.

European Court of Human Rights: Non-implementation of Judgments

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which judgments of the European Court of Human Rights have not been implemented in the United Kingdom; when the judgments were given; and, in each case, what are the reasons for non-implementation.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The execution of the following judgments against the United Kingdom is currently being supervised by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe pursuant to Article 46(2) ECHR (as listed by the Council of Europe Secretariat).
	
		New Cases (consideration still at initial stage)
		
			 Judgment Date Of Definitive(Final) Judgment 
			 Steel and Morris v the United Kingdom 15/05/2005 
			 Bubbins v the United Kingdom 17/06/2005 
			 Lloyd v the United Kingdom 06/07/2005 
			 Beet+ v the United Kingdom 06/07/2005 
			 Crowther v the United Kingdom 06/07/2005 
			 Whitfield v the United Kingdom 12/07/2005 
			 Blackstock v the United Kingdom 21/09/2005 
			 Kolanis v the United Kingdom 21/09/2005 
			 Hirst v the United Kingdom (No. 2) 06/10/2005 
		
	
	
		Just Satisfaction (Payment or Confirmation of Payment Awaited)
		
			 Judgment Date Of Definitive (Final) Judgment 
			 Glass v the United Kingdom 09/06/2004 
			 Hill v the United Kingdom 27/07/2004 
			 Thompson v the United Kingdom 15/09/2004 
			 Wood v the United Kingdom 16/02/2005 
			 Wood+ v the United Kingdom 15/03/2005 
		
	
	
		Cases Raising Specific Questions (Individual Measures, Measures Not Yet Defined or Special Problems)
		
			 Judgment Date Of Definitive (Final) Judgment 
			 A. v the United Kingdom 23/09/1998 
			 Keenan v the United Kingdom 03/04/2001 
			 Jordan v the United Kingdom 04/08/2001 
			 McKerr v the United Kingdom 04/08/2001 
			 Kelly and Others v the United Kingdom 04/08/2001 
			 Shanaghan v the United Kingdom 04/08/2001 
			 Stafford v the United Kingdom 28/05/2002 
			 Paul and Audrey Edwards v the UnitedKingdom 14/06/2002 
			 I. v the United Kingdom 11/07/2002 
			 Goodwin v the United Kingdom 11/07/2002 
			 Mcshane v the United Kingdom 28/08/2002 
			 Wilson, National Union Of Journalists andOthers v the United Kingdom 02/10/2002 
			 Benjamin And Wilson v the UnitedKingdom 26/12/2002 
			 Jordan v the United Kingdom 10/03/2003 
			 Hutchison Reid v the United Kingdom 20/05/2003 
			 Dowsett v the United Kingdom 24/09/2003 
			 Finucane v the United Kingdom 01/10/2003 
			 Ezeh v the United Kingdom 09/10/2003 
			 Grieves v the United Kingdom 16/12/2003 
			 Von Bulow v the United Kingdom 07/01/2004 
			 Wynne v the United Kingdom 16/01/2004 
			 Connors v the United Kingdom 27/08/2004 
			 G.W. v the United Kingdom 15/09/2004 
			 Le Petit v the United Kingdom 15/09/2004 
			 Edwards v the United Kingdom 27/10/2004 
			 S.C. v the United Kingdom 10/11/2004 
			 H.L. v the United Kingdom 05/01/2005 
		
	
	
		Supervision of General Measures Already Announced
		
			 Judgment Date Of Definitive (Final) Judgment 
			 John Murray v the United Kingdom 08/02/1996 
			 Johnson v the United Kingdom 24/10/1997 
			 Kevin Murray v the United Kingdom 15/04/1998 
			 Quinn v the United Kingdom 26/04/1998 
			 Hashman And Harrup v the UnitedKingdom 25/11/1999 
			 Faulkner v the United Kingdom 30/11/1999 
			 J.T. v the United Kingdom 30/03/2000 
			 Magee v the United Kingdom 06/09/2000 
			 Averill v the United Kingdom 06/09/2000 
			 Z. and Others v the United Kingdom 10/05/2001 
			 Price v the United Kingdom 10/10/2001 
			 Kingsley v the United Kingdom 28/05/2002 
			 D.P. and J.C. v the United Kingdom 10/01/2003 
			 E. and Others v the United Kingdom 15/01/2003 
			 Peck v the United Kingdom 28/04/2003 
			 Henworth v the United Kingdom 02/02/2005 
			 Hooper+ v the United Kingdom 16/02/2005 
			 King v the United Kingdom 16/02/2005 
			 Massey v the United Kingdom 16/02/2005 
		
	
	In a number of the above cases further information has been passed to the Secretariat of the Council of Europe, indicating that the judgment has been implemented, and that information remains under consideration.

European Defence Equipment Market

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they have made in persuading other member states of the European Union to agree to open the European defence equipment market; and whether they anticipate any further developments.

Lord Drayson: The Government continue to support the European Defence Agency's (EDA) initiative to create a competitive European defence equipment market by developing a voluntary code of conduct for defence procurement. At a meeting of the EDA steering board next month, EU Defence Ministers are expected to make a decision on the proposed introduction of the code of conduct.

Foster Carers

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to bring to an end the estimated shortage of 8,000 foster parents in England.

Lord Adonis: At 31 March 2004 there were an estimated 41,600 children in foster care placements in England, representing 68 per cent. of all looked-after children. The department itself does not currently hold information centrally about the number of foster carers. However, we are funding a project aimed at developing a national data collection on foster carers, which will result in future collection taking place.
	The Government are funding a number of initiatives to raise awareness of issues around fostering and to recognise the contribution which foster carers make. We have, for example, awarded a three year grant totalling £180,000 to the Fostering Network to support Foster Care Fortnight, which has a particular focus on recruitment, as well as a two year grant totalling £80,000 to look at innovation in foster care recruitment.
	A fostering publicity pack, which we produced last year, was designed to help local authorities to run targeted local campaigns to recruit new foster carers for looked after children. In addition, we are funding a number of initiatives aimed at improving support for foster carers. These include the development of proposals to establish a national minimum allowance for foster carers, a new national advice line, work to improve training opportunities and work to improve support for foster carers who are the subject of allegations.

Foster Carers

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the remuneration of foster parents compares with that of other caring professionals, bearing in mind their day and night responsibilities; and whether they intend to increase the totals payable.

Lord Adonis: It is not possible readily to compare the remuneration of foster carers with that of other caring professionals, in particular because there is no national framework for the remuneration of foster carers; each local authority determines its own allowances and fee structure. The national minimum standards for fostering services require that each carer receives an allowance which covers the cost of caring for the looked after child. We are currently working with stakeholders, including local authorities, to develop proposals for a national minimum allowance for foster carers and shall be consulting on this issue in the New Year.

Foster Carers

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the level of remuneration provided to foster parents is adequate to allow them to make pension provision for themselves.

Lord Adonis: The level of remuneration which foster carers receive varies widely. Early next year, we will be consulting on proposals to establish a national minimum allowance for foster carers.
	With regard specifically to foster carers' pension provision, on 17 March 2003, the then Work and Pensions Secretary, Andrew Smith, announced that home responsibilities protection would be extended to include foster carers. This entitles them, for the first time, to a state pension for the years when they are working as foster carers. Foster carers will also be covered for periods when they are awaiting a placement.

Foster Carers

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What measures they are taking to achieve better induction services and in-service training for foster parents, together with support during placements of children.

Lord Adonis: The Government have commissioned work to assess the current provision of training available to foster carers across the country, looking in particular at the content of training; how it is managed and delivered; its impact on foster carers and looked-after children; the accessibility of training; good practice and gaps in the provision. Our intention is that the findings of this study, as well as the recent consultation on the development of a Children's Workforce Strategy, will inform the direction of future work to support better training for foster carers.
	In addition, we have funded a number of initiatives aimed at improving support for foster carers, including the establishment of a new national advice line, "Fosterline", which offers impartial advice and information to prospective and existing foster carers.

Foster Carers

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the assessment of the Fostering Network and the British Association for Adoption and Fostering that fostering services are under-funded in England by over £600 million per year if a fully effective service is to be provided; whether they will take steps in the light of the assessment; and, if so when.

Lord Adonis: The Cost of Foster Care report identifies the key elements of an effective fostering service and costs these, but it does not consider whether existing resources are used to best effect. Nor does it consider the impact on fostering budgets of spending in other areas of children's social services. It is essential that local authorities ensure they have effective strategies in place for planning and delivering provision for all their children and young people, and that they make effective use of available resources.
	We have already announced that significant additional funding is being made available for children's social services in England. Formula spending is set to rise significantly by 2007–08; an increase of £500 million in comparison from 2005–06. This funding will not be ring fenced—local authorities will be able to plan to meet their own priorities, including those related to fostering.
	For these reasons, we are not intending to take specific steps to implement the recommendations in this report. We are, however, continuing to focus on ways in which we can help improve support for foster carers at local level—including through the development of proposals for a national minimum allowance for foster carers—as well as encouraging local authorities to develop more strategic approaches to planning and delivering provision for all looked-after children.

Geothermal Power

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What studies they have undertaken into the possible use of geothermal power in the United Kingdom; what contribution this could make to employment; and how costs of electricity generation would compare with those of wind power.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Between 1976 and the early 1990s the UK carried out a major geothermal research programme at a cost in excess of £50 million. The key conclusions from the programme were that the UK is unlikely to see major developments based upon geothermal aquifers or the hot dry rock (HDR) method due to a limited resource, poor economics and limited scope for their application.
	Specifically, a review 1 of the HDR programme carried out in 1990 estimated the cost of energy (in 1990 prices) at around 19p/kWh for the very best potential UK sites. Geothermal aquifer water temperatures in the UK are too low for electricity generation 2 .
	By comparison modelling 3 carried out to support the Renewables Innovation Review put the cost of onshore wind generation at -3.1p/kWh and offshore wind generation at -5.5p/kWh with both expected to fall further by 2020.
	Unless the technical, practical and economic constraints identified under the previous geothermal programme can be addressed, the prospects for geothermal power in the UK and therefore any subsequent job creation would appear to be limited.
	1 The 1990 Geothermal HDR Programme Review—ETSU-R-53.
	2 Geothermal Aquifers—Department of Energy R&D Programme 1976–1986 ETSU 39 ISBN 0-705-81014-3.
	3 Oxford Economic Research Associates—"Results of Renewables Market Modelling" February 2004.

Greyhound Welfare

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to regulate the disposal of greyhounds after their careers as racing dogs have finished.

Lord Bach: The Animal Welfare Bill had its First Reading in another place on 13 October 2005. The Bill will place a duty on owners and keepers of animals to ensure that their welfare needs are met. The owner of a racing greyhound will have a legal duty to ensure that it is properly cared for, including after retirement. Those responsible for the enforcement of welfare laws will be able to take action if an owner is not taking all reasonable steps to ensure the welfare of their animal, even if it is not currently suffering.
	The Government welcome the recent efforts made by the industry to improve greyhound welfare. However, there is more that can be done. A working group, involving representatives from industry, welfare groups and enforcers, has been set up to advise in this area, including on the fate of greyhounds once their racing days are over. This will help us to consider progress, and if any further action is needed.

Iraq: British Forces and Civilian Population

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to improve relations between British forces and the civilian population in Iraq.

Lord Triesman: We are working across a wide spectrum of areas in southern Iraq to improve and maintain the relationship between British Forces and the civilian population.
	The British Consulate-General, representing the British Army, and the governor and the committee, representing the provincial council, issued a joint statement on 11 October which agreed that:
	"Frank dialogue between British representatives and the representatives of the local government elected by the people of Basra is key to co-operation in regard to the reconstruction of Basra, and in making the necessary security arrangements for achieving the democratic process in Iraq".
	The UK continues to support the provincial reconstruction and development committees in planning and implementing projects in each of the oil and fuel, power, health, water and other essential services sectors. British forces assist in the implementation of several Department for International Development (DfID) funded projects, such as short-term employment programmes and the refurbishment of provincial council buildings. DfFD-funded programmes are helping to build good governance capacity in the southern provincial' councils, and to ensure that local government is able to address the needs of the local population now and in the future.
	The British forces' involvement in training and equipping the Iraqi Security Forces is another visible demonstration of our commitment to building a stable Iraq in which civilians feel secure and safe.

Iraq: Protection of Cultural Property

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What cultural properties the British forces in Iraq are seeking to protect; and whether they are holding talks with the Iraqi authorities on additional measures by the United Kingdom to implement the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two protocols.

Lord Triesman: The Government take very seriously the need to respect Iraq's cultural heritage. As United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 of June 2004 stressed, all parties need to respect and protect Iraq's archaeological, historical, cultural and religious heritage. The Iraqi Ministry of Culture has begun implementation of an Archaeological Site Protection Plan and the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage is working to build an archaeological site patrol force to provide a guard force for cultural heritage sites.
	The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict directs that combatants must avoid directing attacks against protected sites, unless there is a military imperative to do so. The UK is in the process of ratifying the convention and its two protocols. This process is still at an early stage and there have been no discussions with the Iraqi authorities relating to the convention. However, UK troops are already acting in accordance with the spirit of the convention.
	The UK is a signatory to the 1977 Additional Protocol (AP 1) of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which requires that civilian objects are to be protected from attack, unless that object is being used for military purposes; in which case it may lose its special protected status. UK forces in Iraq have strict instructions not to fire on cultural sites such as mosques and heritage sites, as well as important economic and social infrastructure properties, unless these sites are being used for militarily offensive purposes.

Ministry of Defence: Case of Trooper Williams

Lord Campbell of Alloway: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether retrial under the concurrent jurisdiction has ever been sought by the Ministry of Defence other than in the case of Trooper Williams; and, if so, when.

Lord Drayson: There was no retrial of Trooper Williams. His commanding officer dismissed the matter without any form of hearing or trial, and this decision prevented the matter from being dealt with further in the military system. However, as the offence also fell within the jurisdiction of the civilian courts, the matter was exceptionally referred by the Attorney-General to the Crown Prosecution Service which took the decision that the case should be tried in the civilian system. This did not, however, constitute a retrial.

Ministry of Defence: Stolen Equipment

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Drayson on 21 July (WA 291–292), whether they will provide itemised details of the equipment stolen from the Ministry of Defence in the past five years.

Lord Drayson: Reported cases of stolen property are recorded centrally by the Defence Fraud Analysis Unit, on a summary basis only and relate to suspected theft by Crown personnel of stores and equipment. Cases are not recorded or grouped by property type and are often recorded, especially in respect of lower value items, as multiples or combinations of items such as tools, clothing and foodstuffs. Providing a response in the form requested and for the period concerned could be provided only at disproportionate effort.

Professor David Coggon

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Professor David Coggon, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, has, under the University of Southampton's university business scheme from 1 January 2000 to date, undertaken activities including consultancy, joint or contract research, training or continual professional development; if so, for which employers he has undertaken these activities; and whether any such activities are planned in future.

Lord Bach: I understand that Professor Coggon is an employee of the Medical Research Council rather than Southampton University. Professor Coggon was not aware of the Southampton University Business Scheme before its inquiry and has had no involvement with it.

Royal Household: Travel

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 11 October (WA 96), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the financial memorandum of understanding agreed between the Department for Transport and the Royal Household and the Royal Household's internal detailed guidance on the travel to be funded by the grant-in-aid.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Copies of the memorandum of understanding and financial memorandum governing the grant-in-aid for Royal travel are being placed in the Library of both Houses. The guidance to households on Royal travel is an internal Royal Household document. As the household is responsible for its internal documents, request for copies of this document should be addressed to the Royal Household.

Safeguarding Children: Chief Inspectors' Report

Lord Ramsbotham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the remarks by the Lord Adonis on 13 October (Official Report, col. 454), when the action plan to the joint chief inspectors' report will be published.

Lord Adonis: The Government are giving careful consideration to the findings and recommendations in the joint chief inspectors' second report on arrangements to safeguard children. We will publish the response by the end of the year. It will include, as I explained to the noble Lords on 13 October, a specific action plan which will be incorporated into the forward work programmes of the relevant government departments.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the proposed complement of 7,700 African Union soldiers will be in place in Darfur by the 22 October deadline; and whether this number of peacekeepers will be sufficient to safeguard the 3.5 million people dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Lord Triesman: The African Union (AU) has deployed a total of 5,581 military and civilian personnel, and 908 civilian police, as part of the AU Mission in Sudan's (AMIS) current expansion to over 7,700 personnel. Under current planning, the AU expects to deploy this full force size by the end of October, although this date may be delayed due to other commitments in troop contributing countries, especially for civilian police.
	We expect there to be a further mission to assess the AU Mission in Sudan in the near future. The mission will examine the effectiveness of the expanded AMIS and will present recommendations for the future.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are honouring their obligations under Article 37 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government are satisfied that the United Kingdom (UK) is fully compliant with Articles 37(a), (b) and (d) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. When ratifying the convention in 1991, the UK entered a reservation against Article 37(c). The reservation concerns the separation of under- and over 18 year-olds and states: "Where at any time there is a lack of suitable accommodation or adequate facilities for a particular individual in any institution in which young offenders are detained, or where the mixing of adults and children is deemed to be mutually beneficial, the United, Kingdom reserves the right not to apply Article 37(c) in so far as those provisions require children who are detained to be accommodated separately from adults". In recent years, a series of measures have been taken to make the secure estate for under 18s completely separate from that for older offenders. A separate estate for boys was established in 2000. Since the end of 2003, girls under 17 who are sentenced to custody have routinely been placed in secure training centres or secure children's homes. Two special units for 17 year-old girls have been opened and two more are due to open shortly. This will enable all girls under 18 to be held completely apart from over 18 year-olds. There may continue to be particular circumstances where an under 18 year-old may need to be placed in the young adult estate, but we believe the above measures not only meet our obligations under the convention, but accord with the intention underlying Article 37(c). We are also satisfied that we are meeting our obligations under the other provisions of Article 37(c).

Victoria Cross

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they propose to mark the 150th anniversary in 2006 of the institution of the Victoria Cross.

Lord Drayson: On Monday 26 June 2006 the Ministry of Defence will assist the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association with the funding and organisation of a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the presentation of the first Victoria Cross. The service will be followed by a reception and lunch.

Wind Energy

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their latest estimate of the number of jobs that will be generated in the United Kingdom between now and 2020 as the result of the development of wind power.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The renewable industry currently supports some 8,000 jobs. It is estimated that if all of the planned developments both onshore and offshore are built, the industry could support up to 35,000 jobs by 2020. These figures are contained within the renewables supply chain gap analysis which can be found at www.dti.gov.uk/renewables/publications/pdfs/renewgapreport.pdf.